September 20, 2024
As the 2024 presidential election draws closer, about 8 in 10 registered voters say that the economy is one of their top issues when thinking about their vote in the November election. Voters continue to remain pessimistic about the state of the national economy with 66% saying it is very or somewhat poor. However, almost 6 in 10 say their own financial situation is good.
Over half of registered voters cite health care as a top concern, and about half say the same for crime, immigration, abortion policy, and gun policy. Only about a third called climate change a top issue. The war between Israel and Hamas is not a top concern for most voters, but about 6 in 10 regard it as an important issue when thinking about the upcoming election.
Democratic registered voters are more likely to consider gun policy, climate change, crime, abortion policy, and healthcare as top issues, while Republican registered voters are more likely to say the economy and immigration are top issues. When it comes to the war between Israel and Hamas, Democratic, Republican, and independent voters are all equally likely to say it is an important issue, but not one of the most important.
When it comes to which candidate is trusted more to handle these top issues, both Harris and Trump are closely matched regarding the economy, crime, immigration, and the war between Israel and Hamas. Harris has an advantage among registered voters over Trump when it comes to gun policy, climate change, abortion policy, and health care.
Most Democratic registered voters trust Harris more to handle the country’s top issues, while the majority of Republican voters feel the same about Trump. Independent voters are more divided, with at least around 20% saying they do not trust either candidate on any of the country’s top issues.
Most registered voters believe that the outcome of this election could have an impact on the future of this country, the economy, and the future of democracy. They are less concerned with the impact on themselves personally.
A majority of Democratic, Republican, and independent registered voters feel the future of the country will be impacted by the outcome of the presidential election. Republican voters are especially likely to believe the outcome of the election will impact the economy. On the other hand, Democratic voters are more likely to think the future of democracy will be affected. About half of both Democratic and Republican voters think the election will be impactful for them personally, along with around a third of independent voters.
The nationwide poll was conducted September 12-16, 2024 using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 2,028 adults, including 1,771 self-reported registered voters. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 3.1 percentage points; +/- 3.5 percentage points for registered voters.
